DIY Classy Barn Wedding in West Virginia

DIY Classy Barn Wedding in West Virginia

Chasity & Wes didn’t skip a beat when they quickly turned their lakeside West Virginia wedding in to a DIY classy barn wedding. Wes’ grandparents and mom have homes on Flat Top Lake in Ghent, West Virginia which they finally decided was the perfect spot. Or so they thought. The extended forecast called for some chilly temps and rain and seamlessly the plans were altered.

Wes & Chasity met cliff diving, both there through a mutual friend Natalie. Wes was immediately interested in her and she completely ignored him.

They had a few chats on FB and she would respond with brevity. He didn’t give up despite Natalie telling Wes to leave Chasity alone, he persisted. What Chasity didn’t know was how stubborn Wes is. Finally Wes got Chasity to agree to date him. But Chasity insisted it was nothing more than friendship. Even after a road trip to NY which involved a kiss that Natalie insisted is “not what friends do.” So despite Chasity’s best efforts, it was finally clear even to her, that Wes had knocked down her wall.

At the time, he was living in TN and she was in Greensboro, NC. It was something Wes saw as only a slight inconvenience. A year after they had met, Chasity got into an accident and totaled her car. Wes was the first one she called. Within an hour she had an email in her inbox with a list of cars to go look at. He was in TN then and said he would come see her. Two things were apparent. Wes was obsessed with cars. Wes needed to be closer to Chasity.

Wes is an amazing salesman (no, not the skeezy kind, but more like the pesky persistent younger brother variety). He had a passion for VolksWagons and in three weeks got himself a job selling them in Greensboro. Now it was real. Wes, with his husky Kilo was officially a part of Chasity’s life.

Fast forward to a late spring night in Manchester, NH. We met Chasity & Wes at the bar of Republic Bistro. Chasity had become a traveling OR nurse and was on her first assignment. Wes had just given up his job and driven up from NC. At the time, it was our Sunday ritual to head in for happy hour and enjoy hummus, white bean dip, and roasted beet quinoa. The bar is typically packed as beer and wine are half off, so we took two open stools next to our future friends. It wasn’t long before cell phones were coming out to show us the video of how Wes proposed a few months prior.

Chasity spent her down time dancing, at the time focusing on ballroom. Wes saw his plan forming and needed just the right time to carry it out. Chasity had a showcase coming up and Wes began constructing a plan involving the performance. But, as with all good proposal plans, the bride to be made things interesting and decided not to do it. So he ended up sitting on the ring for nearly a year, then, in the spring she performed. Wes had arranged it with her partner who would blindfold her in the dance. Wes would swap out with her partner, remove the blindfold and propose.

Unbelievably, his long awaited day played out perfectly. Through a spin and whisking off of the blindfold her boyfriend was suddenly in front of her performing the routine to perfection and dropping on one knee. We never found out the show case result, but Chasity said “yes” so it’s kind of a moot point.

We quickly learned that Wes & Chasity are the type to say “yes” to pretty much anything. We invited them to a vegan festival in Worcester. Then a bridal show in Dover, a performance of Singing in the Rain, and hiking in Acadia. We can’t recall ever hearing “no” to one of our suggestions. In their free time they were driving crazy distances to explore all parts of New England. Their Instagram feed is an eclectic collection of mountains, ocean and everything between.

When Wes returned to his job in Greensboro, Chasity moved in with us. Which basically meant she was home alone since we are rarely there. She fell in love with aerial dance, we fell in love with her cat Eviva. We went running together, dinner dates, late night ice cream runs, and cat sitting.

Knowing these two so well made for an extremely special wedding weekend. Our drive down to West Virginia was filled with anticipation. Seeing Chasity & Wes was like being reunited with long lost friends. And we jumped right in to DIY decorations, family dinner and snagging them for a morning run.

Chasity’s sense of adventure and performing made for an awesome color palette filled with purples and turquoise. Peacock feathers, a birdcage veil and plenty of lace combined perfectly. The rustic barn venue had been a last minute addition as their lakeside family property promised to be cold and rainy. So they searched for a backup plan mid-week and found the place only two miles away.

What we learned about Chasity & Wes during their wedding weekend was how strongly they are loved. Having known them outside of their home environment, we were able to see them in a new light. Wes had many friends there whom he met during the process of selling them cars, some were even groomsmen! Chasity, a normally quiet and delicate personality became overflowing with extroversion. Her smile was non stop and her energy was completely contagious.

It was our joy and honor to be a part of their West Virginia weekend and DIY classy barn wedding. Getting to be a part of their family, and laughing with friends was an adventure in itself. As they have returned from their Grand Canyon honeymoon, we now get to reunite for their next journey. We can’t wait for them to return to Portsmouth, NH for another traveling nurse rotation!!

Are you planning a DIY classy barn Wedding or other equally epic adventure? If you’d like a wedding photographer that loves barn weddings, we’d love to hear from you and see if we are a good fit for you! Send us a message!